So The Bikeriders is a film that I didn’t expect to like before I saw it. The reason was the talk months ago about it, which seemed to be some road trip film with some romance between a beatnik type of guy and woman, and they learn things about themselves, blah blah blah. And it’s a period piece, bro, that just sounded like something I’ve watched before and also boring. And I was wrong, very, very wrong with my assumptions, and I was being completely unfair based on others’ writing and some pictures. This is why I try to go in not knowing much about the film unless it’s based on a superhero comic, and I’m already spoiled because of reading comics. Now, back on topic, Jeff Nichols‘ The Bikeriders is a film about the golden age of motorcycle clubs before they turned darker and into gangs. The film stars Austin Butler as Benny, Jodie Comer as Kathy, and Tom Hardy as Johnny, the three film leads. Set during the 1960s, it follows a Chicago Motorcycle Club started by Johnny, who was inspired by the film The Wild One and the dynamic he has with Benny, who’s a pure free spirit and Benny’s relationship with Kathy, our lens through this tale as she tells it to PhotoJournalist Danny Lyon (Mike Faist). See The Bikeriders is based on Lyon’s book of the same name, and while the real-life story is so romantic, this film is another one in which we see essentially the loss of innocence of white America over the years of the 1960s.
Austin Butler here is very good, as is Benny, this aspirational man who is portrayed as the spirit of bike riding and being in a motorcycle club. He’s handsome, blonde, and a real one since he rides for the homies. It’s all there when they put the camera on him; as you’re seeing him from Kathy’s perspective, it’s like, yeah, this makes sense. Yet, with all that, we have Tom Hardy. This guy puts on this weird accent that, in some ways, feels like a rugged version of Jerry Lewis’s Nutty Professor Kelp. It’s a character that feels like he’s bottled up and doesn’t actually like his life other than making the club. His presence on the screen is like someone you don’t feel you can ever really trust, and it is the most dangerous. Now, here’s the thing: he isn’t, and the film, through most of the narrative, is a battle between Kathy and Johnny for Benny. Johhny knows he can’t be king forever, but Benny doesn’t want that weight and doesn’t want to be tied down by domestic responsibility. The film does a great job of showing this conflict while also showing the change in the world as more people join these groups and how violent it becomes. Toby Wallace‘s The Kid personifies this; the closest thing I can say he feels like is Marlo Stansfield in The Wire, as he’s a visual representation of what’s to come. That actor also has a significant screen presence.
Jodie Comer is really great as the glue for this film. She brings an authenticity to the role and is likable throughout the whole film. She’s as great with Butler as she is with Hardy on screen. She’s very believable as this midwestern woman catching the vapors off Benny and enjoying this life for some time while also being so protective of Benny. Jeff Nichols and Adam Stone, the cinematographer, take the time to give you the feeling of Danny Lyon’s original photography. They show those photos during the credits, so you will get a sense of those images of the real people on which this story is based. They do a lot of great close-ups of the actors with fantastic lighting. This isn’t a film where you can’t see anything. Everything has an excellent gloss of nostalgia over the whole look of the film, even as things change for the worse. I’ve seen some talk that this movie is like Goodfellas, and while I can see that, it also feels a bit lazy. It’s a great film and has some camaraderie but it’s not that much like Goodfellas. The Bikeriders works well as a great American story of an idea of freedom, masculinity, and naivety that all crumbles away as the 70s hit, much like many things in this country.
Score: B
RIOTUS 